The Great Hall

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of having a couple of hours of private access to the Great Hall of the Krannert Center of Performing Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This is one of the top acoustical theaters in the world. For years, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra commuted the 150 miles to Urbana to make its recordings.

The lobby itself is impressive. More than 35,000 square feet of floor space is covered in teak wood. The entire allocation of teak wood coming into the United States from Thailand was allocated to this venue for a year.

Here are some favorites from my visit:

Great HallFoellinger Great Hall in the Krannert Center for Performing Arts on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois on February 9, 2018Great HallFoellinger Great Hall in the Krannert Center for Performing Arts on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois on February 9, 2018Great HallFoellinger Great Hall in the Krannert Center for Performing Arts on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois on February 9, 2018Great HallFoellinger Great Hall in the Krannert Center for Performing Arts on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois on February 9, 2018
I was glad that a piano was left on the stage as it added a sense of scale to many of the pictures.